Chandigarh [India], December 22 : Congress MP Manish Tewari on Sunday expressed concern over the amendments made regarding the election rules, calling it "unfortunate," and stressed that the modifications could negatively impact the integrity and credibility of the electoral process.
"It is most unfortunate that while a proceeding was going on in the Punjab and Haryana High Court and certain directions were given by the High Court, the election conduct rules, specifically with regard to those directions, have been changed," Tewari stated.
Tewari condemned the changes and stated that the revised rules should be laid before Parliament. He further mentioned that the INDIA bloc would take an appropriate stance during the upcoming budget session of Parliament.
"Obviously, the court will take cognisance of it. But more importantly, it sends out a very negative signal with regard to the intent to maintain the integrity and credibility of the electoral processes. We condemn it, and these rules obviously will have to be laid on the floor of Parliament, and in the budget session of Parliament, I think the Indian INDIA Alliance parties will take an appropriate call," he added.
This came in the wake of a recent Punjab and Haryana High Court directive in the Mahmoud Pracha vs ECI case, where the court ordered the sharing of all documents related to the Haryana Assembly elections, including CCTV footage under Rule 93(2) of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961.
The amendment by the Centre now restricts public scrutiny of certain electronic documents, including CCTV footage, based on a recommendation from the ECI. The Union Law Ministry recently amended Rule 93(2) to specify which documents are open to public inspection.
However, a senior ECI official clarified to ANI that the candidate already has access to all the documents and papers, and no amendments have been made to the rules in this regard.
The ECI official noted that while the rule refers to "election papers," it does not explicitly address electronic records. The ambiguity in the rule and concerns over potential misuse of CCTV footage inside polling stations, especially with advancements in artificial intelligence, prompted an amendment to safeguard voter secrecy and prevent its misuse.
The official emphasised that sharing CCTV footage inside the polling stations from sensitive areas such as Jammu and Kashmir or Naxal-affected regions could compromise voter safety. "Lives of voters may be at risk, and the secrecy of the vote must be protected," the official stated. All other election-related documents and papers remain accessible for public inspection.